The University of Qatar is still hiring for fall 2004. If you are interested you can send your CV to Dr. Noora Khalifa Al Sobai, Vice President for Academic Affairs, vpacademic@qu.edu.qa or by fax: 974 4835222

The University of Qatar is still hiring for fall 2004. If you are interested you can send your CV to Dr. Noora Khalifa Al Sobai, Vice President for Academic Affairs, vpacademic@qu.edu.qa or by fax: 974 4835222

Qatar University (QU) yesterday unveiled the new structure of its Foundation Programme which was finalised following a two-year evaluation study. Sheikha bint Jabor al-Thani, QU Vice-President and Chief Academic Officer, outlined details of the new structure which reduces the programme to one year instead of two, starting Fall 2012.
She said that the new programme is structured on levels one to four, and will be divided into four nine-week sessions, with an additional six-week summer session if needed. Its focus will be on improving students’ language and math skills. A dynamic intensive English component that is attuned to individual student needs forms part of the new structure, while the computer component will be eliminated as ICT skills will be integrated into all student learning experiences at QU, she added.
The programme will be student-centred and project-based, with a focus on creativity, engaging students in tasks and activities that not only spark their motivation, but are related to their prospective field of specialisation and to the Core Curriculum Programme (CCP).

The CCP is aimed at the acquisition of skills and competencies in general knowledge, communication, research, critical thinking, ethics and civic responsibility, and appreciation of identity and cultural diversity.
The teaching philosophy of the new programme advocates interactive, communicative, and collaborative strategies of teaching and learning, she said. To achieve this, class sizes will be reduced to 16 students per class for levels one and two, and 20 per class for levels three and four, and allowed class absences will be reduced from 25% to 10%.
Current students will be transitioned into the new structure based on the level they would be moving on to at the start of
Fall 2012.
Gulf Times

Is this desperation to recruit or a ploy to remove current staff???? Not only this, appicants were offered a much higher starting salary than staff are currently on. What does this mean? Shop talk at the fair indicates many QU teachers are concerned about this new state of affairs.
I may add that this kind of thing is not unusual in the region, it happened when I worked at SQU. People were under three different contracts and three different pay scales, this caused a lot of resentment and friction between old and new. To pay less qualified teachers more money??? This will undermine morale. Added to all the other changes and concerns, teachers are probably very stressed about what is actually going on. There was also talk of teachers having to teach 36 weeks instead of the normal academic year of 30. Does this mean overtime pay? QU was certainly a buzz word at the job fair this year.

TESOL Arabia job fair

Quote:

The Foundation Program Department of English at Qatar University is currently recruiting resourceful, culturally sensitive, academic professionals seeking creative input within a diverse EFL/EAP faculty, commencing late August 2012.

Qualifications/Experience:

A Master’s degree in TESOL, Applied Linguistics or ELT from a reputably accredited university/program with at least two years’ EAP/EFL/ESL teaching experience at university/tertiary level (overseas experience is desirable).

Applicants with a relevant first degree and an internationally recognized postgraduate diploma in EFL (CELTA/DELTA), with at least three years of teaching experience in tertiary/adult education will also be considered.

It seems strange that they would be making offers ahead of the big TESOL conference in Philly where they are also recruiting.

No idea about Philly but applicants at TESOL Arabia were quoted 17,000 QR base salary which is a very good offer. However, according to several former QU teachers at the conference, this offered amount is 25% higher than the current base salary. They said it was unfair to the teachers now working there. If they do not raise the current teachers' salaries to the same base of 17,000 QR they are offering the newbies, there will likely be a lot of problems and resentment like SQU had about 12 or 13 years ago. We had teachers on three different salary scales: those already working there, new teachers recruited by SQU and teachers recruited by an agency. The salary discrepancy was bad news and a lot of SQU teachers quit and moved to HCT which offered them a better deal. Teachers who had worked hard to earn their living were suddenly confronted with colleagues who earned more, it was a bad scene and many people up and left. SQU had to eventually pay everyone the same base salary as it was acknowledged that the different pay scales and different base salaries were discriminatory practice

Is offering a higher base salary to newbies a plan by QU Foundation English to encourage current staff to leave so they can hire new staff? Or do they intend to give current staff an additional 25% so that everyone will have the same base salary? The discrepancy was discussed over coffee breaks at TESOL Arabia; the former QU instructor said a lot of QU people were riled. There will be a lot of misery if newbies enter with more money - especially since they don't need to haveany experience (despite their ads - they hire new grads) and can come in with only a first degree. This is not be a big deal unless the inexperienced and the BA holders earn more. I wonder how it will pan out? They should learn from the SQU mistake. QP couldn't care less as they go for the cheapest contractor on offer.
Hmmm

Last edited by idaho_potato on Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:32 pm; edited 2 times in total

[We had teachers on three different salary scales: teaches already working there, new teachers recruited by SQU and teachers recruited by an agency. The discrepancy was bad and a lot of SQU teachers quit and moved to HCT which offered them a better deal.

I recall that and it certainly taught SQU to stay far away from using recruiters.

But, I doubt that these unequal salaries were why people moved to HCT. From the day HCT opened, many SQU teachers were applying annually trying to get over to the much higher salaries in the UAE. Of course, most of those who made the jump soon regretted it. Even with the (unequal) lesser pay scale, they missed laid-back SQU and the Omani students.

Oman will never pay the same kind of salaries that the UAE or Qatar pay.

Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 1:08 pm Post subject: the end of foundation at QU?

Quote:

It has also instructed the schools to teach TOEFL and IELTS at Secondary Schools as a step in preparing students for higher education. This decision has been taken in the back drop of all universities in the country require students to meet high level of competencies English, mathematics and Science for admission. Qatar University (QU) in February this year unveiled the new structure of its Foundation Programme that does not require minimum scores in IELTS or TOEFL proficiency tests, though it requires a passing score of 70 percent in the Foundation Programme will allow students to enrol in their respective college or programme. In order to register for appropriate courses in the Foundation English and maths programme, all students must first take the online Accuplacer exam which is used to place students in the appropriate English and Math levels. The Accuplacer exam is required for all students entering the Foundation Programme.

Students are dropping out of the foundation program for several reasons:

1. 8 week sessions so no time to learn much
2. over assessment, constantly being assessed for everything they do
3. 70% pass instead of the usual 60%
4. courses which do not solve their language problems

They are moving to the Arabic medium program which seems to be working more or less better or moving to other places like CCQ. The new program does not help improve students' language difficulties and students are saying that it is inadequate and all they want to do is pass to get out of the program.